The present invention relates to a metallic load bearing beam for structural members, such as floors, having support elements thereon for supporting the beam on pillars or the like.
A standard steel I-beam has a cross section shaped as an inverted "T" to comprise a large supporting base plate or lower stringer, a central web perpendicular to the base and an elongated upper stringer, extending along the upper end of the central web. It is also well known in the building arts that the web connecting the lower and upper stringers together is formed with apertures so that a concrete casting can be integrated therewith for building purposes.
Further, it is well known that the central web may be constructed from a row of inclined rods, each fixed at one end to the lower stringer and at the other end to the upper stringer, formed of a pair of tubular elements parallel to each other and to the lower stringer. Such inclined rods forming the web are affixed not only to the upper stringer and the base, but also to each other to provide a series of V-shapes, or a continuous sinusoid, the top and bottom peaks of which are respectively fixed to the pair of tubular elements forming the upper stringer and to the lower stringer.
In another prior art application, the beam web is constructed from a series of pairs of inclined rods, each fixed at one end to the lower stringer and at the other end to an upper stringer, formed in this case of a single tubular element parallel to the lower stringer. Also, each of the rods forming the beam web is affixed to the ends of the adjacent rods, so as to provide two rows of V-shapes, or two continuous sinusoids, quite similar to those of the foregoing case, except for their shape.
It is apparent that a beam of this type has the advantage that the lower stringer or base of the beam functions as a support element to support the beam on a pair of pillars, for example, and at the same time functions as the load bearing member for floor components resting on the beam. Of course, to ensure the structural integrity between the beam and the supporting pillars, and to avoid imperfect penetration of a concrete casting between the beam and the pillars whereby voids may be formed therebetween, supporting end members have been adapted to the beam.
Such end members usually comprise a transverse element joined to the base of the beam. However, it has also been found that this arrangement is not satisfactory, as the connection with the pillar is imperfect and some difficulties are met when this transverse member is inserted between longitudinal rods of the pillar reinforcement.